In the spring of 2002, Gamesa, a global wind energy giant, approached landowners in rural Lee County about building the first commercial-scale wind farm in Illinois.

After a series of tests, the Mendota Hills Wind Farm went online in November 2003. The project, which Gamesa later sold, has 63 windmills that produce 50.4 megawatts of electricity a year - enough to power between 11,000 and 15,000 homes.[MORE]